You Ain't My Drill Sergeant
by Grettigirl123
Summary: Luke returns from the Marines on a leave and finds out that 15 yr old Bo has been getting into a lot of trouble at school. Luke thinks he needs some good military discipline, but Jesse has other ideas. Spanking of a minor.
1. Chapter 1

It wasn't that he wasn't excited to see Luke, he really was. In fact, it was the only thing he could think about ever since the family got the letter that he was coming home on leave from the Marines. Bo had missed him so much while Luke had been away. It had been only nine months since he last saw him, but it had seemed like an eternity. Bo clung to every letter that was sent home by Luke, and had pretty much worn out the paper they had been written on by reading them over and over again. However, as time went by and he began to compare the most recent letters to the letters from when Luke first left home, he noticed a difference in tone. Something was changing in Luke while he was away, something about the tone the letters started to take and the topics he would write about made Bo realize that Luke may not be the same coming back as he was when he left, and that made Bo a little nervous about seeing him again. He couldn't quite explain it, or put a finger on it, but that uneasy feeling in his stomach told him that he may want to take a little time to readjust to Luke being back.

Bo wasn't really one to judge, either. It wasn't really a secret that Bo had been going through some changes of his own while Luke was away, not all of them good, and that could very well be the biggest thing that had been bothering him about facing Luke again. Losing his big cousin had proven to be more difficult for Bo than the fifteen year old had anticipated. He naively thought that saying goodbye late last year to the young man four years his senior would be the hardest part. After all, Luke had joined the Marines fresh out of high school, leaving Bo to begin his high school career on his own, with no moral support or words of wisdom. Bo hadn't really thought about continuing on with schoolwork while Luke was away. It was almost like Bo expected his life to just freeze until Luke returned and that everything would pick up exactly the way they left off, with no changes. As the day rapidly approached that Luke would finally return on an extended leave, it was all too clear to Bo that Luke would not be overly impressed with the way he had handled Luke's absence so far, and it was much too late to do anything to change that now.

In the beginning, the letters home from Luke would be about seeing the different cities and meeting men from all over the country. He wrote of all the hiking and working out he was doing, and how he had to answer "Sir, yes Sir" or "Sir, no Sir" to everything a superior officer would ask him, and how he had to keep his bunk and uniforms incredibly neat and tidy, unlike he had done at home. As time went by, however, Luke spoke more of the importance of his duties, how the high amounts of discipline were really going to come in handy when he would be deployed overseas. He had started his weapons training and had even begun hand to hand combat. As Bo continued to read the letters, he began to understand that Luke wasn't just away at a camp somewhere. It began to sink in that Luke had become part of something huge, something important, and was about to be part of something that was very dangerous. He never allowed himself to think about where any of this was headed for Luke, the thought of Luke's life in danger made Bo sick to his stomach, so he just tried to focus on how smart and cunning Luke could be. Besides, Luke had promised Bo before he left that he would be back, and so far Luke had never broken a promise to him.

So now here he was with Daisy at the farm, waiting somewhat patiently for Uncle Jesse to arrive back at home after picking Luke up from the bus station. Daisy had prepared a feast of a meal, complete with all the southern fixin's that Luke had been missing since his departure, and Bo had to stay behind to help. Daisy had been a Godsend to Bo over the last nine months. The two cousins had always been close, and even during Bo's worst days lately, Daisy had been there with a warm hug or a soft kiss on the cheek for him. She looked over and smiled at him now as Bo cautiously pulled back the kitchen curtain to peer out into the driveway, anticipating the white pickup truck to pull in any time now.

"Relax, sugar, they'll be here soon. Why don't you come over here and help me set the table?"

Bo turned away from the window. "They'd better get here soon. I can't hardly wait to eat dinner. I've been smelling it all morning and my stomach's aching to dig in."

Daisy tilted her head just a bit as she studied her younger cousin. "You sure that's all you're thinking about, Bo?"

Bo stole a quick look into her eyes before looking down at the floor. "No, I guess not." He took the pile of dinner plates she was holding for him and quickly made his was around the table, plunking plate after plate in each person's spot. "It does seem good to set a table for four again, though, don't it?" Bo managed a smile at Daisy.

Daisy walked up to Bo and gave him a gentle squeeze. "It sure does, honey." She pulled him away a little and looked up into his eyes. "Listen, I can tell you've been nervous about Luke coming back, and I'm pretty sure I know why." Bo looked away and began to pull back from her. She held his arm tight and brought her hand to his cheek to make him look back at her. "I know things haven't been easy for you, Bo, but don't you worry none. We're gonna have a great time with Luke back again. He's not coming back here just to check up on what you've been doing in school. He'll be so happy to see you, to see all of us, and I know that seeing him again will put you back on the right track." She again pulled him close and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. Bo placed his head on top of hers and hugged her back. Even at fifteen, Bo was head and shoulders above his 'big' cousin, but she still liked to coddle him a little, and he had to admit he liked it too.

At that moment they heard the roar of the truck coming into the driveway. Both Duke cousins in the house rushed out to meet the third Duke cousin in the yard, and they all met with a group hug. Uncle Jesse carried Luke's bag in the house and Daisy and Bo hurried Luke right in the door behind him. Within 15 minutes, they were gathered around the kitchen table, feasting on that southern fried meal that Daisy had worked her fingers to the bone on all day. Jesse had led the family in a special welcome home prayer for Luke, thanking the Lord for his safe return, and then they all dug in. Bo couldn't resist a few smart remarks about Luke's new haircut, and Daisy couldn't help but comment on the new muscles he had sprouted while he had been away.

Luke seemed very excited to be back home. He started out with some small talk, asking questions about how the tractor was holding up, if the beat up old pick up had given Bo any problems, if Daisy had finally decided to accept a date with Enos, when finally the dreaded question for Bo reared its ugly head.

"So, Bo, how's school been going this year?"

Bo's stomach twisted just a little. Trying to act passive about it, he just shrugged and replied "Oh, it's been okay, I guess."

"Well, three quarters have passed so far. How've your grades been? You've been staying out of trouble, ain't ya?"

Uncle Jesse studied Bo's reaction for a second. His youngest was just stirring the food in his dish, was not looking up, and had a darkened look in his eyes. Trying to save the dinner conversation from going sour, Jesse intervened. "Bo's been fine. You let me worry about his schoolin'. How was the flight from Missouri?"

Luke looked questioningly at Bo for a moment, then at Jesse. He wasn't quite sure what had just happened, but took the hint that whatever it was, it would be left for another time. "It was okay. I gotta admit I was really nervous flying for the first time, but I guess I'm gonna hafta get used to it before long."

The conversation continued onward and past the school subject, which Bo was very relieved about, but he knew as well as Luke did that although the topic had been stalled, it wouldn't be over. Long after the food had been consumed and the dishes were all cleaned and put back in their places on the shelves, the four of them continued to sit around the table and did their very best to catch up on everything that had transpired while they had been separated. Bo did manage to tell Luke that he had picked up a few odd jobs around town helping with some grocery deliveries and mending some porches and fences. However, he was only allowed to work on the weekends and not on school days, so his cash income had been very limited. Daisy had been helping out at the orphanage lately and had also managed to bring in a little money on the side.

Finances had also been a sensitive subject. Money had never come in abundance at the Duke farm, but this year had been a lean one for the family, and it didn't help that Luke hadn't been there to help with the upkeep and chores of the farm. Bo and Daisy had helped as much as they could, but Jesse had been shouldering a little more of the workload with Luke away, and truth be told, it was wearing him out a bit.

Bo hated seeing Jesse working so hard, and at first had even tried to convince his uncle to let him take a year off from school to help out with the farm, but Jesse would hear none of that. His first two kids had graduated high school, and so was his third. Jesse knew all too well that if Bo were allowed to take a year off, the chances of his returning to graduate would be very slim, so he wouldn't even humor the subject. Bo tried his best, but his uncle stood firm.

Much later that evening, Bo and Luke retired to their bedroom for the night. Luke stretched out on his bed, soaking in the comfort of his old mattress. Bo had tried to clean the room up a little, at least he had pulled all his clothes off Luke's side, but the tiny room still looked like a bomb had gone off in there. As Bo yanked his sheets down to crawl into his bed, Luke shook his head and clicked his tongue at him.

"Looks like your cleaning skills haven't changed any." Luke smirked.

Bo smiled, "Yeah, you could say that. I've never been one for cleaning."

"I'll tell ya, Bo. If you were in the Marines and your bunk looked like that, you'd be doing so many push ups and sit ups, you wouldn't be able to move for a month."

"Yeah, well, I don't remember you having much for cleaning skills either, before you went away."

"That's the thing, you have to learn real quick to keep your area clean and proper, or else you get in a heap of trouble with your drill sergeant. It teaches you to be disciplined real fast."

Bo looked around the room again. "I dunno. It don't seem too bad to me. I know there's clothes on the bed and some on the floor, but the floor's swept up, and all the clothes are kinda clean, those jeans've only been worn once. It's not all that bad."

"It's not bad by your standards, but by Marine standards, it's horrible!" Luke caught himself at that moment as he saw the look of confusion and a hint of shame on Bo's face. He decided he would backtrack just a bit. "Then again, it looked like this when I was here, too, so I guess it's not fair of me to lay that all on you now." He patted his bed for Bo to come sit with him. "Come over here for a second, Bo. I want to talk to you." Not liking where their last conversation ended up, Bo cautiously went over and sat on Luke's bed.

"Listen, I know something was going on earlier at the dinner table. Is everything okay at school? It seemed like maybe there was something you weren't telling me."

Bo suddenly found something very interesting on the floor to study. For some reason he couldn't take his eyes off that one spot on the floor. "No, not really. It's been a little rough this year is all. It'll all be fine. I'm doing okay."

"You don't sound too convincing."

Bo shrugged. "It's really okay. I'm pulling down mostly C's. I did get two D's, but I'm pretty sure I brought one of them up so far this quarter to a C. I'm gonna work to do the same with the other one" Bo was telling the truth. Although his grades hadn't been anything to write home about, they hadn't been the main reason for Bo's hesitancy to talk about school.

"Well, that's not great, but it's not horrible either." Luke replied. "Is there anything else?"

Bo hesitated ever so slightly as his teeth chewed a little on his lower lip and his eyes darted nervously from the floor to Luke's eyes. It was enough evidence for Luke that there really was something else, however, Bo continued to deny it.

"Nope, that's it." Not looking at Luke as he spoke. "It's different from Jr. High to High School. I'm getting used to it now, but it was a rough start for me, is all." He finally pulled his eyes away from the floor and looked at Luke, who was sitting there, acting like he was waiting for him to say something further. "Really, that's it." Bo said again with a bit of a laugh. "I'm sorry I ain't got more to tell ya."

Luke nodded at Bo and decided that on his first night home, he would not push the subject any further with his younger cousin.

"Okay, if you say that's it, then that's it." Luke answered as he again stretched out on his back. Placing his arms behind his head and looking up at the ceiling, he replied, "Gosh, this old lumpy mattress feels so great. I'm gonna sleep like a baby on this."

The next two days went by much too quickly for Bo, but then again, the weekends always did. He had spent as much time as possible with Luke, although he didn't get a lot of one on one with him. News got around about Luke's return to Hazzard, and all his friends wanted to spend some time as well. Cooter had come by, of course, and spent a good portion of Saturday at the Duke farm, catching up with Luke. In fact, Cooter and the Duke family spent a few hours just sitting on the porch listening to the Marine stories that Luke had brought home with him. Just coming from Basic Training and some specialized training, Luke's main topic was discipline, and how he was so against it at first, then had grown to really need it as part of his day to day life in the service.

Every so often, too often in Bo's opinion, Luke would stop telling his stories just long enough to give Bo a friendly jab in the gut, saying "You could use a bit of that, Bo, some discipline would really do you good, too." before continuing on with the rest of his tale. Bo would play along with the joke, but truth be told it was hitting a sore spot with him, and it didn't help that Luke must have said something along those lines at least five times. Daisy, who had been sitting next to Bo, noticed how it was affecting him and she reassuringly ran her hand up and down Bo's arm, smiling at him whenever he would make eye contact with her.

Sunday Bo and Luke took a ride to Hazzard Square to reacquaint Luke with all the surroundings of his small hometown. They finished off the trip with a drink at the Boar's Nest. Soda for Bo, a cold beer for Luke. It was there that they had run into Enos, Boss Hogg and Roscoe, even though Enos was the only one who seemed happy to see Luke again. Enos was still in training to become the next deputy of Hazzard, and Roscoe had just been appointed sheriff. Boss Hogg had been the county commissioner for several years now, and he just grumbled at the sight of Luke Duke back in town. He did manage to comment on how happy Luke's Uncle Jesse must be to have Luke back, and he told the boys to be sure that they gave their uncle his regards. Enos bought Luke a beer, and Roscoe managed to place a hand on Luke's shoulder and almost smile at him just before he scurried off after Boss. It made Luke feel right back at home.

Monday morning sent Bo back off to school, the place that he had learned to dread over the past several months. Daisy had dropped him off at the front entrance of Hazzard High on her way to the orphanage, as usual, and wished him a good day. Before she drove off, she reprimanded him slightly.

"Now listen, Bo. Uncle Jesse will be at the still sight most of the day today. I'll be back to pick you up at two o'clock, right after school. Just make sure you're on your best behavior today so you don't get sent home early. Luke is spending the day with Cooter, helping him install an engine in Mr. Rutherford's Oldsmobile, and there won't be anyone home for the principal's office to call. You hear me?"

Bo nodded. "I hear ya, Daisy. I'm sure I can manage one day without a trip to the office." He smiled and patted the hood of the truck before Daisy drove away. "Have a good day, sugar. Love ya." She called back to him.

Bo's smile faded as he looked toward the school. Taking a deep breath, he headed up the stairs and entered the building. "Here's hoping I can, anyway."

As Bo sat uncomfortably in the wooden chair in the corner of Principal Leighton's office, he stole a glance at the clock on the wall. It was 1:20. Bo smirked at how close he had come to making it through the day without some sort of conflict. Close, but not quite. Mrs. Drummond, Mr. Leighton's assistant, was seated behind her desk, finishing up her work for the day, looking up occasionally at Bo and shaking her head in disappointment. Finally, she acknowledged him. "I've called for your ride, Bo. It'll be here in a few minutes."

Bo frowned. "But, my Uncle is at work, Mrs. Drummond. How could you have called him? He….doesn't have a phone in his…..office." It was a good cover, Bo thought.

"I didn't reach your Uncle, Bo. I reached your cousin."

Bo swallowed hard. "Daisy?"

"No, Luke. He'll need to come in here and sign you out, seeing how your Uncle is at… work today." She smirked at him and continued with her clerical duties. Most of the people in Hazzard knew what the Duke family business consisted of, but it was never really discussed.

This news seemed to deflate the air right out of Bo's lungs. "Great." He sighed. Just when he thought the day couldn't get any worse, it somehow managed to prove him wrong. Dealing with his Uncle was bad enough, but the thought of facing Luke somehow frightened Bo even more than the wrath of Jesse Duke. He would much rather face Jesse's lecture or even a whipping than Luke's disappointment. He leaned against the back of the chair and waited for Luke to come. While he waited, he thought back to what had just transpired in Mr. Leighton's office.

There was a very scripted course of action that would befall students who disobeyed in Hazzard High School, or any of the Hazzard Schools, and every student who attended these schools had known of this since grade school. The first three trips to the principle's office would result in detention. The next three would result in a day's suspension. The next three trips would result in three lashes with the strap, over the jeans, while bent over the principle's desk. The punishments got more severe for the high school students, starting with five lashes, then ten, and finally fifteen lashes before being expelled for the rest of the year. Previous years in school had brought Bo over the principle's desk one time for three lashes, and that had been back in sixth grade. He had been so bothered by that and by the fact that Jesse had done the same to him when he got home, that he made it a mission to never have that done to him again.

Never, that was, until his first year in high school. This had been a particularly bad year for Bo. It had started out well enough, but had continued downhill pretty consistently. The first infractions had basically been not paying attention in class, being disruptive or skipping a few classes. As the year went by, Bo had found a few boys in his grade that really seemed to like giving him a hard time, and no matter how hard Bo had tried to avoid them, they always managed to find him. The end result was that Bo was now facing ten lashes with the strap the next three times he was sent to the principle's office.

The good news was each time he was sent to the office, he would be greeted by Mr. Bixby, the assistant principle, who was no more than five and a half feet tall and weighed in at about 145 pounds. Being a rather small man, Mr. Bixby wasn't exactly known for hard lashings, and not a single strike had hurt Bo in the slightest. Getting a whipping from Mr. Bixby wasn't a true threat, and because there was no danger, there was very little motivation to not defend himself against the boys giving Bo a hard time. The boys would also get in trouble for fighting, but they had behaved themselves better in the beginning of the school year and were simply getting off with a detention, for now anyway.

However, this afternoon had been different. As Bo walked into the lobby of the office, it wasn't Mr. Bixby who was waiting for him, it was Principal Leighton. Mr. Leighton stood at about six feet five inches, weighed in at well over 250 pounds, and had been a Marine himself. The talk of the school was that although the principal very rarely administered corporal punishment to the students, when the occasion arose the students left the office with very painful backsides. Bo had himself seen Bobby Cross leave the principal's office with red and puffy eyes, and he was starting quarterback on the varsity football team. Mr. Leighton held Bo's file in his hands, and escorted Bo into his private office and sat him down for a discussion.

"How did this happen, Mr. Duke? How is it that this is your thirteenth time being sent to this office? Is it your intent to get expelled from my school?" Mr. Leighton had opened Bo's file and was sorting through all the demerit slips.

"No, Sir." Bo answered. His heart was pounding so hard he hoped that the man couldn't hear it from where he sat.

"Then what is it? I'd really like to know why you insist on coming back to this office. Do you like my paintings in here or something? Perhaps you have a secret crush on Mrs. Drummond?" He was toying with Bo now, and Bo actually found himself wishing they would just get on with the lashings and get it over with.

"I don't know, Sir. I just can't seem to keep away from them boys who've been giving me a hard time this year. I know I should just walk away, but it just ain't that easy sometimes." Bo hated how that excuse had sounded so weak.

Mr. Leighton snorted a bit at Bo as he put the slips back with the rest of the paperwork and closed the file. "Well, I guess you're just gonna have to try harder next time. I've spoken with those boys as well, and I want you to know that they've been warned to stay away from you, and I'm warning you now to stay away from them. From here on out, you will all be dealing directly with me, not with Mr. Bixby, and I promise you, you will not like what happens in here one bit from here on out. Do you understand me, Bo?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Fine, Well, let's get this over with. Place your hands on either side of my desk, and don't take them off until I'm finished."

Placing his hands on the desk, Bo braced himself for the first blow of the leather strap. The sound of the strap striking Bo's back pockets made a loud 'crack', and the severity of it forced Bo to arch his back and stand straight up, letting go of the sides of the desk. Bo sucked in his breath hard and a look of panic flooded across his face. The sting was much more than Bo had expected. "No, no, Mr. Duke." Mr. Leighton warned, "Your hands are not to leave the edges of my desk. Get back into position, please, so we can continue." Bo let out a deep breath and did as instructed. As promised, the punishment resumed. By the fifth strike, Bo was up on his tiptoes and shifting his weight from one foot to the other, trying to get his backside as far away from the strap as possible, this time without lifting his hands off the desk. Strikes six through nine found Bo breathing very hard and gritting his teeth together to prevent himself from crying out. After the tenth strike finally landed, Bo let out another very hard breath and started to pant a little bit. He took his hands from the edges of the desk and tried to quickly regain his composure. At least his eyes were still dry, but it was by far the most severe flogging he had ever received. Even Uncle Jesse's whippings couldn't compare to this one, and by the time it was over, he had started to break a sweat and felt his body shaking a little bit. He was grateful that he was at least able to keep his jeans up during this. Without them, he would have been sobbing like a kid.

When Mr. Leighton finished, he put a hand on Bo's shoulder. "Okay, it's over now. Relax a little bit and let me know when you're ready to discuss this further." Bo took a minute to catch his breath, and then turned to face his principal once again.

"I'm going to assume you've learned by now that this will no longer be a game for you. When students come in my office and receive this type of punishment from me, they make every effort not to return. Now you're at ten lashes. Can you imagine what it will be like if you get to fifteen? I could show you now if you'd like to receive five more."

Bo put his hand up in surrender and shook his head "No Sir, I wouldn't like that at all."

"Let me promise you that the next time you're sent here, that's exactly what you'll get. I'm not playing with you, Bo." At this point, Mr. Leighton's tone seemed to soften a little, and he tried to get through to Bo another way. "Listen, I know your Uncle Jesse pretty well. I even knew your daddy and your cousin's daddies, and I know that your uncle has done the best he could at raising the three of you. They're good people, and you're a good kid, Bo. I like you, I really do, and it's because I like you that I'm going to stick on you now and set you back on the right track. You're too good for this, and you're smarter than this."

Bo nodded. He had the shaking and breathing under control now and felt he could talk without his voice cracking. "I know, Mr. Leighton. I don't want it to be this way, either, and I really don't want to do that again." He said, referring to the strap still in Mr. Leighton's hand.

"I'm glad to hear that, Bo. Now please step back outside my office and wait for me there."

"Yes, Sir."

So there Bo sat in the small wooden chair next to Mrs. Drummond's desk, very uncomfortably waiting for round two with Luke.

The ride back to the farm with Luke was silent for most of the ride home. Bo sat in the passenger seat, again staring intently at the floor of the truck. Luke was fuming! Bo had avoided eye contact with him as much as possible in the principal's office at school, especially when Luke had spoken to Mr. Leighton and found out that Bo was beyond the detention and day's suspension penalties and had just received ten lashes. Luke had been so shocked by that piece of information that his mouth literally dropped open. Luke's jaw tightened afterward and his eyes turned from blue to a dark gray. "Bo," he seethed, "Apologize to Principal Leighton and get in the truck." Bo meekly stood, still not daring even a glance at Luke, mumbled a quick "I'm sorry Mr. Leighton" in the direction of his principal, then quickly made his way out the door and into the parking lot. Luke took a quick moment to sign Bo out, and then followed him out to the truck.

About nine minutes into the ten minute ride home, Luke had calmed down just enough to regain his ability to speak. "What the Hell is going on with you, Bo?" he began. "I'm gone for nine short months and this is what you manage to achieve? How in the heck did you get to ten lashes? What…..what the Hell have you been thinking?"

Bo moved his stare from the floor to out the passenger side window. "It isn't all what you think, Luke. It's not, well, it's not all my fault…."

Luke made a snorting sound with his throat. "Oh, of course not! It never is, is it? I guess you're gonna tell me that someone else caused all this for you."

"No, not all of it, I guess, some of it was me in the beginning of the school year, but a lot of it recently's been because of fightin' with these…"

"Here we go! I knew it. See? That's what I've been talking to you about since I got home. You have no self discipline, Bo. You never had had self control. You lose your temper every time someone provokes you, and look where it gets you. When are you ever gonna learn to walk away from it sometimes? I can't believe this! You wouldn't last a day in the Marines!"

Turning into the driveway, Uncle Jesse could be seen getting out of his truck as he was just getting back from the still sight. Neither of the Duke cousins seemed to notice him as their truck came to a stop and Bo quickly made his exit from the passenger door. Now it was his turn to lose his temper. "Well I got news for you, cousin, I'm not in the Marines, I'm in high school! And don't tell me what's my fault and what ain't my fault, 'cuz you don't know the whole story and I don't hafta listen to this anymore!" He started to storm off when Luke caught him by the elbow.

"Don't you walk off on me, Bo. I ain't done with you yet!"

Yanking his arm away, Bo stood his full height and looked Luke square in the eyes. Bo had reached Luke's height by now, but still was much smaller than Luke in muscle tone and strength. Still Bo, being Bo, didn't hesitate to stand there now and challenge his older cousin, knowing full well it would be a very short fight if it ever came to that.

"Well I'm done with you! And I got another news flash for you, Luke. You ain't my uncle, you ain't my guardian and you sure as heck ain't my drill sergeant! You got no call to holler at me and give me orders!"

Uncle Jesse stood in disbelief as his two nephews spewed back and forth. He then put himself in between them and tried regain the upper hand. "Now just you two simmer down and tell me what in tarnation has gotten into you. What happened?"

"This is what happened, Uncle Jesse." Luke said as he pulled the slip of paper he received from the principal's office and handed it to his uncle. It was the form that needed to be signed each time a student had been disciplined. Bo took a step back and placed his hands on his hips. He looked back toward the ground and shook his head a little in defeat, waiting for Jesse's reaction. Jesse read the paper, bit down on his lower lip a little and looked up into Bo's pleading eyes. "Bo, get yourself into your room until I'm ready for you."

Bo's shoulders slumped and he kicked at a pebble with his foot. He stalled just for a moment as if he were going to say something else, but decided against it. "Yes, sir." he answered as he left Luke and Jesse in the driveway and walked through the door of the house.

"Uncle Jesse, what's going on with him?"

Jesse folded the paper and tucked it into the pocket of his overalls. "Um, let's go have ourselves a seat at the picnic table. There's some stuff that's been going on that you don't know about."

Once seated, Jesse began. "Bo's been having a bit of a rough time with things at school lately, and it's been getting him into some troubles…."

Luke chortled a little "I should say so! Ten lashes? Even the worst kids in my class barely made it up that far….."

"Let me finish, will ya?" Dark and serious eyes met with Luke's, and Luke stopped talking and let his uncle continue. "Now, I know how bad it is, and I know how far up the discipline chart Bo is in school, but a lot of that happened early in the year, right after you were deployed. He really had a hard time with that, Luke. He was real lonely without you, and he started skippin' some classes to go and sit by the swimming hole and do some thinking. It wasn't what he was supposed to be doing, and by no means was it okay with me that he was doing that, but I did sympathize with how he was feeling. He also had a real hard time paying attention in his classes, and his teachers would send him to the office to get detentions for that. After some time went by and Bo adjusted to your being gone a bit, things started to get back to normal for him and his attention span got a little better. Not enough to get his grades up too much, but enough to keep him out of trouble with the teachers."

"But Bo told me a lot of it was because he's been fighting. What's that all about?"

"Well that's the part of it that I'm having a hard time getting out of Bo. He won't say too much about it, just keeps saying that there are these couple of boys that've been giving him a hard time. He won't really get into what they're giving him a hard time about, but he's told me that they team up on him and have been hassling him a lot. It had let up for a while, and I was hoping it was over and done with, but I guess that's not the case anymore."

"So that's it? Bo's been skipping school, slacking off with his schoolwork and fighting, and you've just been hoping it was over with by now?" Those dark eyes came back again toward Luke, and Luke put his hands up to show his uncle that he realized how that had sounded. "I'm sorry, Uncle Jesse, but I just don't understand how you're handling this. Bo needs to be taught that this type of behavior is unacceptable, no matter what his reasons are. He can't just start a fight because some kids are hassling him. A man has to know to walk away from those situations, not jump into fights anytime he feels like it."

"First of all," Jesse began, "How I 'handle' Bo is between me and him, and secondly, Bo's fifteen years old, he's a teenager, he's not a man yet."

"He'll be sixteen in two months….."

"Which still makes him fifteen! Luke, I know this is hard for you to understand, but there's a world of difference between a fifteen year old boy and a young man who'll turn twenty next month. And, there's a lot of difference 'tween the two of you boys maturity-wise, there always has been. You've always been older in your head than you were in your body, and Bo's always been a little bit younger. The trouble is, you've always tried to make Bo older than he was to begin with, even when you were little kids. You'd cart him off on the back of your bicycle, or bring him out climbing trees since he was barely out of diapers, and that's fine. It was good for him back then. But now you've moved on and joined the Marines, and that's great, but it left Bo behind and he's had some adjustin' to do, and it's taken him a while to get used to the idea that he has to find his way without you now. He's always hung around with you and your friends, and he never really made friends his own age because of it."

Luke was quiet for a minute. He'd never really thought about what it was going to be like for Bo while he was gone. He just figured he would be okay and would get along just fine without him. "I never tried to make him older, he just never wanted me to treat him too much like a kid when we were out with the guys."

"I understand that, Luke, I do." Uncle Jesse laughed a little "It's funny, Bo's at that age where he doesn't know if he wants to be a boy or a man. Just the other day I caught him sittin' on the couch, eating cereal straight from the box while watching Tom and Jerry and laughing like a six year old. Then I see him out in the fields plowing or working on the tractor and for a minute he looks like he's about in his mid twenties." Luke smiled as he knew what Jesse was talking about. Heck, he'd even thought the same thing a bunch of times. "As far as Bo getting into trouble at school is concerned, I want you to know that I am working with Bo's principal and together we'd decided that he will be in charge of Bo instead of Mr. Bixby. I think that'll be plenty right there to make Bo think twice before losing his temper again. In the meantime, I'm going to be there to help and support Bo as much as I can, the same way I would do for any of you kids. We's a family, and families stick together and help each other out as best we can. You just remember that, son."

Luke sighed. "I will, Uncle Jesse." Getting up from the picnic table, Luke looked toward the house. "I guess I'd better go talk to Bo now. I was plenty rough on him before and I guess I never listened to his side of things."


	2. Chapter 2

Jesse led the way through the front door and into the kitchen. Luke remained leaned against the cabinets by the sink as Jesse knocked on the boys' bedroom door and called for Bo to come out. As Bo exited the bedroom, it was apparent by the sullen look on his face that although he'd had a chance to calm down a little, his anger was still very close by. Jesse didn't seem to notice this about his youngest as he walked over to the table and pulled out a chair. "Park it." He instructed. Bo quietly sat on one side of the table as his uncle took the seat directly across from him. Taking the folded paper from the principal's office out of his pocket and tossing it on the table in front of Bo, Jesse made his opening remark. "You care to explain this to me, boy?"

Not even looking at the paper, Bo cleared his throat a little bit to regain his voice and meekly answered, "It wasn't my fault this time, Uncle Jesse. I didn't start any trouble, but they just wouldn't knock it off, so I had no choice but to fight back. It's not my fault they can't fight worth a hill of beans…"

Jesse's voice started low but continued to gain volume with each word. "I thought we had an agreement that there would be no more fightin' while you was in school! You was supposed to walk away next time, remember? You looked me right in the eyes and swore that you would! What happened to that?"

"I didn't start it, honest I didn't! I was just going to my last class, not bothering anybody, but they just wouldn't let me be!"

"Who wouldn't let you be? And you come clean this time, Bo. I ain't playing with you no more. I want the names of the boys and I want them now!"

"The same two that've been dogging me all year, Caleb Thornton and Arnie Waterhouse. I swear they sit in the hallways and wait for me." Bo's voice started to rise just a little and it started to crack as well, making him sound much younger and a little bit desperate. Bo realized this the moment the words came out, causing him to slump back in his seat and sulk a little. He took a minute to clear his throat again and took a deep breath to regain composure.

Jesse studied him for a moment. The voice cracking could mean one of two things, either he really was afraid that he wasn't going to be believed and would get further into trouble, or there was more to the story than there seemed to be. "Look me in the eyes, Bo." Bo looked from the table, setting his gaze on his uncle and didn't dare break the stare until his uncle permitted it. "Who threw the first punch?"

It was everything Bo could do to continue to look at Jesse with what he was about to admit. "I threw the first punch, but they were the first ones to put their hands on me."

"How so?"

"They, well, they kept shoving me."

Luke's back stiffened against the cabinets a little as he listened to Bo's answer. If there was one thing his younger cousin couldn't tolerate, it was being shoved. He wasn't quite sure what it was about that which caused such a reaction from Bo, but if ever someone wanted Bo to come back swinging at them, a simple push backward would be all it would take. "Sounds to me like them boys know how to get you riled." Luke interjected. "They know where your buttons are and used them to get you to lose your temper."

"Yeah, well it didn't turn out so well for Arnie. I dang near broke his nose just before Mr. Pierce, the history teacher, saw that much of the fight and dragged me to Mr. Leighton's office."

"And how did it turn out for you? Did you enjoy what happened to you today? Sounds to me like Arnie's not the only one who walked away from that fight sore. You comfortable in that chair right now?"

Bo threw himself against the back of the chair and folded his arms. "Dang it, Luke, will you stop with the lecturing already? It's all I've heard since you've been home."

"Then show me that you don't need it." Luke snapped back.

"Alright you two, that's enough! I've had just about enough of the bickering from you to last me right through till next harvest." Glaring eyes made their way between both sets of blue eyes looking back at him.

Luke sighed and took a seat at the table next to Bo. "Bo, listen to me. I know it's been tough on you this year in school. Uncle Jesse told me about how you got some of the detentions because you was upset 'cuz I had left, and I understand that. I missed you like crazy when I had to leave. But what I don't understand is why you never wrote anything in your letters about what was going on while I was gone. You could've let me know, maybe I could've helped you."

Bo sat straight up. "And how were you gonna do that? Were you gonna hop on the next plane home?"

"No, but…"

"Then what good would it've done? There was no point in writing about it. Besides, it would be a stupid thing to write about in the first place."

"How do you figure it would've been stupid?" Luke's expression turned from anger and frustration to concern now. Somewhere in this conversation, Luke had lost Bo's train of thought.

Bo shook is head and almost laughed at the question. Resting his forearms on the table now, Bo leaned forward and looked straight at Luke. "And what am I supposed to say in those letters, Luke? Here you are in the Marines, getting ready for God only knows what…maybe going off to Vietnam and having to fight and risk your life…." Deep breath as he choked out those words. "And Uncle Jesse and Daisy are both working real hard to keep dinner on the table for us and keep a roof over our heads…" another breath, there must be something in there coming up to the surface now. "And I'm supposed to write about how I am dealing with bullies in school, and teachers reminding me how I'm not as smart as you and Daisy, and I need to work harder and pay more attention, and how the biggest obstacle in my day is getting through school without getting a spanking by the principal? Give me a break, Luke! I'm sure as heck ain't gonna waste anyone's time with that. Like I said, It's stupid." Bo crossed his arms across his chest again and set his back against the chair.

Luke and Jesse exchanged glances. Jesse made his way over to Bo and placed his hand on his shoulder. "Bo, listen to me. The problems that you're facing are problems that any teenager would be dealing with. School, teachers, homework, they're all things that teens worry about. You're not supposed to worry about or be responsible for putting food on the table and keeping a roof over our heads at fifteen. Luke and Daisy never had to worry about that stuff when they were your age. I'm real sorry if I ever gave you the impression that I'm too preoccupied with our finances to lend you an ear to listen to things that might be bothering you. I can tell you, it won't happen again. You have my word."

"Same goes for me, Bo. Anytime you need any advice, you can always come to me." A devious smile came across his lips. "Especially with girls. An ugly cuss like you should be begging his handsome older cousin for advice on that subject!"

That managed to put a smile on Bo's face and greatly lighten the mood. "Shoot, Luke. You wouldn't know what to do with a girl if she ever did decide to give a look in your direction." Luke laughed as he clapped Bo on the shoulder and stood up from the table.

Jesse chortled a bit at the absurdity of the subject, then turned the conversation back to where it had begun. "Now, getting back to this piece of paper, here. I know you've already had your time with Principal Leighton, but there's also the matter of the penance for breaking your word with me about the fightin'. You'll be on dish duty, sweeping and laundry for two weeks, and I expect you to keep up with all your other chores as well. Seems you've got some extra energy for throwing punches that needs to be worked out of you." With that, Jesse made his way out the kitchen door to feed the livestock their supper.

Bo was back to sulking again when Luke leaned in closer to ask one last question of his cousin. "Hey, Bo? I just gotta ask ya….what was it like to get a thrashing from Leighton, anyways?"

Bo's eyes narrowed a little bit. "Truth?" He asked.

"Yeah."

Bo chuckled a little bit. "It hurt like heck! I honestly didn't think I was gonna make it through without bawling like a baby!" The blonde teen couldn't help but laugh at himself as he shared his confession.

"But you did make it through, right?"

"Hell yeah I did! Takes more than that to break Bo Duke….not much more, but more! Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got dishes to do!"


	3. Chapter 3

It may have been the talk with Uncle Jesse and Luke. Perhaps it was that the weight of the confession to Luke about his misbehaving in school had been lifted. It could also have been that Arnie Waterhouse hadn't been in school the last two days….(maybe he did get his nose broken!) Whatever the reason, the next three days went very well for Bo. His smile was back, his eyes shown brighter, even his appetite was back on the rampage. Things really seemed to be looking up for him, and his attitude showed it tenfold.

Luke really seemed to be more relaxed as he readjusted quickly to his homestead. He seemed to enjoy helping out with the chores and actually seemed excited to be able to sleep until six-thirty each morning. He filled his mornings with chores, his afternoons running errands with Daisy and Uncle Jesse or helping Cooter out at the garage, and his evenings were dedicated to Bo. Luke had made it his mission to help Bo get over his troubles at school by spending as much time with him one on one as possible while he was back at home, even if it included helping him with his math homework or standing next to him as he helped dry and put away the dishes.

Bo also seemed to be responding very well to the time Luke was putting in with him. He began to open up a little bit to Luke about the fighting in school. It seemed that Caleb's former girlfriend was sweet on Bo, even while she and Caleb had been together. In fact, at the last school dance, this girl, Bethany, had walked away from Caleb while he was getting some refreshments and had asked Bo to slow dance with her. Bo had accepted her offer, not realizing she had been there with another boy. A confrontation had followed between the boys and as a result Caleb had been sent home, leaving Bo and Bethany at the dance to spend the rest of the evening together. Caleb had silently vowed revenge, even though nothing at all had happened between Bo and Bethany. The fact was, this girl was much too skinny for Bo, who preferred girls with a little meat on their bones.

To show his appreciation to Luke for all the help he had given him, Bo decided to give him a surprise. Leading him to their bedroom door and making Luke cover his eyes; Bo opened the door with a big "Ta-Da!" and showed him a perfectly clean bedroom. All the clothes had been hung up and put away, the floor had been swept and washed, even the windows had been scrubbed and the beds were made up with clean sheets. Luke couldn't help but laugh as Bo stood there proudly, showing off his hard work to his big cousin. In return, Luke decided to have some fun with this.

Placing his hand on his chin and walking up and down between the beds, Luke began his inspection. "I don't know, Duke, those sheets don't look too tight on that mattress."

"Huh?" Bo responded.

"Well, can you bounce a quarter on them? A truly made bed has its sheets tucked in tight enough with perfect creases so that a coin will bounce right back up when dropped on them."

"You can do that?" Bo was intrigued. Evidently there was more to the Marines than just marching and standing at attention.

"Not only can you do that, but you must do that."

"Show me how. I'd like to see that done."

Luke pulled the sheets back down and worked his bed making magic. Bo stood back with his arms folded, stunned at how much attention had to be paid to a bed that would just be trashed again by the next morning. Still, he had to admit it was an event worth watching, just the same.

"Here it is. Now, hand me a quarter." Bo dug into his pocket and seemed impressed with the fact that he actually had a quarter to pull out. He handed it over to Luke, who bounced it off the sheets and caught it back in his palm. "See? Now that's a tightly tucked bed."

Bo gave a smile that almost showed sympathy to Luke. "Wow….that's wonderful, Luke! I can see you're really happy with that."

Luke recognized that he was getting poked fun of, but he let it go. He was having too much fun with Bo to get annoyed with him now. After all, Bo had been right a few days ago. It was Luke who had joined the Marines, not Bo. "Yes I am really happy with that. Now, let's see about the closet." Opening the door, he was actually quite surprised that Bo had spent some time organizing it and cleaning it out. "Wow." He exclaimed, looking back at Bo. "I'm impressed!"

Bo beamed back at him. "I had a feeling you would look there. I bet you thought I had just shoved everything in there, didn't ya?"

"Well, I guess I misjudged you, cousin. Nice work. Now, what are we gonna do about these?" He proceeded to walk over to Bo.

"About what?"

Luke reached out and grabbed Bo's arm and pulled it out away from his body. He poked at Bo's biceps. "These little scrawny things, here." Then he slapped Bo in the abdomen, "And this hollow thing, here. You call them muscles, boy?"

Bo pulled his arm away and placed his other hand over his stomach where Luke had just jabbed at him. "Whaddya mean? I got muscles." Then, poking at his own stomach and pressing at his biceps, continued. "Somewhere in there, anyways."

"Not like these, you don't" Luke proudly rolled his sleeves and showed him the newly sculpted bulge in his upper arms. "Or these" lifting his shirt at the waist now and displaying a perfect six-pack. "You need to do some work, kiddo. No wonder those boys in school are after you. With those puny muscles, you're no threat to them."

"Well, I don't get much time to work out, having to sit at a desk all day writing papers or solving math equations. It's not like I just went through basic training or nothin'."

"It's easier to get some muscles built up than you think it is. I can show you some really good sculpting exercises if you want." Luke made a conscious effort to ask Bo if he wanted to be shown these types of things rather than have him feel it was being forced on him. It seemed to work like a charm.

"Sure," Bo replied. "That would be great. I already have your height matched, so once I get some ripped muscles like you've got, I'll be able to set you down in your place a few times and see how you like it."

"Oh, I wouldn't count on that, cousin. I'll be Uncle Jesse's age and still be able to knock you on your backside if you step outta line, you can just bet on that."

Bo laughed at him. This was the Luke he had grown up with. He began to figure out that the Marines hadn't changed Luke entirely; it simply had added a different side to him. Luke had always led the way for Bo, being older and learning to do things before Bo had, and Luke had always brought his new experiences back to Bo and had shared them with him. As they got older and spent so much time together, it got harder for Luke to educate him as he hadn't learned anything new himself. The Marines had now given Luke a new experience that he could bring back and show to Bo, and this seemed to make Luke very proud of himself. He had reclaimed his place as the teacher, which was where Luke was most comfortable. Bo was just as happy to be taught, as he knew it made Luke happy, and he had to admit a lot of what Luke was teaching him would come in very handy… except that bed making idea.


	4. Chapter 4

It _would_ have to be today.

It wasn't like the day wasn't painful enough to get through already, without the added conflict and confrontations.

Bo Duke could really be a fool, sometimes. Luke had tried to warn him to take it slow and easy the first few times he did the pushups and crunches that he was shown to build up the muscles in his biceps and abdomen, but Bo had to push it.

Just after supper the night before, Luke had taken Bo out to the front yard to show him the "Marine way" to do perfect pushups. Bo got the technique down pretty quickly, and before long he was at fifty perfect, basic training pushups. Luke had told him to stop and rest, but the trouble was, Luke had been on the ground doing pushups right along beside him, and Luke wasn't stopping at fifty. Of course Bo never bothered to stop and think about how Luke had been doing these types of exercises every day for the past nine months and had built up to a higher tolerance. The only thing Bo could see was that Luke could continue, and if Luke could do it, then he could too, especially since Daisy had come out to watch, and Bo didn't like to get whooped in front of a female, cousin or not. Luke laughed at him as they both continued pressing their bodies up and down again side by side, called him a dang fool for not stopping and doing as instructed, but as usual, Bo didn't listen to reason. Finally, for Bo's sake, Luke had stopped at 100 pushups, seeing that Bo was really struggling to keep up with him at that point, even though Luke had barely lost his breath at all.

"You're gonna regret that with a vengeance tomorrow, boy." Luke warned, throwing him a towel. "But, as usual, I guess you're gonna just have to see for yourself."

"It ain't gonna be that bad." Bo challenged. "It's not like I haven't used my upper body before. Now, what about the crunches?"

Luke smiled at him and shook his head. "Okay, those go like this." And he was on his back right afterward, knees bent and feet flat on the ground, lifting his body half way up, then twisting at the waist, then all the way up, holding it, then halfway down, twisting at the waist again, then all the way down. Within a few moments, Bo was right next to him, imitating his moves until they were both keeping time with each other.

"Now these you're gonna want to take slower, trust me. You want to keep these under fifty at a time until you've done it for a few weeks." Luke stopped at fifty, expecting Bo to stop as well. Bo finally stopped at eighty, and that was only because Luke tackled him and forced him to stop. Much to Luke's surprise, Bo wasn't as easy to wrestle with anymore. Somehow, Bo had grown while Luke had been away, and even though his longer body wasn't built with muscles, there was definitely some strength in there now. He was thin and wiry, and was very difficult to pin down. Daisy was sitting at the picnic table, laughing and cheering on her two crazy cousins as they took turns knocking each other down, each trying very hard to gain the upper hand. Finally, Luke claimed his victory as he set Bo on his back with his shoulders and head pinned securely to the ground. "One, two, three." Luke proclaimed, "Sorry, cuz. Better luck next time."

By this time Bo was very much out of breath. "Yeah, well, I bet I gave you more of a fight than you were expecting, didn't I?" Even after Luke had released his hold on him, Bo continued to lie on his back in the grass, catching his breath.

"Oh, I dunno…Maybe a little bit." Luke sneered as he got to his feet and offered a hand down to Bo. "Loser serves lemonade. Now go fetch me a glass. I've worked up a thirst."

Something was very wrong. Bo realized it the moment he sat up the next morning and reached down for his socks on the floor. Something was very, very wrong. It took Bo a moment to recognize the sensation his body was feeling, but once he identified it, there was no doubt as to what it was. It was pain, severe, agonizing pain. His upper arms, shoulders and back felt as if he had been hit by a wrecking ball, and his mid section was suffering so badly that it hurt to simply take a breath.

"Bo, Luke was right, you are a dang fool." Bo whispered to himself as he tried in vain to bend down far enough to grab his clothing from the floor. "Oh my God, someone please just kill me now!"

To top things off, his pain was evident enough at breakfast that the three heartless members of his family noticed his agony right away and instead of sympathizing with him, they opted to have some fun with him. Daisy came over and started to tickle his ribs, and to Bo her fingers were little knives stabbing into his torso. To make it worse, the tickling caused Bo to move quickly to try to escape her reach, causing even more pain to sear through him. Luke had come up behind him while Bo was sitting at the table and grasped his shoulders for a nice, tight squeeze. The jolt of discomfort that went up through his back and out his shoulders actually had caused Bo to cry out a bit, but he discovered that his arms were too weak to lift, even to defend himself with. Uncle Jesse opted to just sit there, reminding Bo what a stubborn jackass he could be and informing him that this, in no way, excused him from doing any of his morning or afternoon chores.

And so Bo's morning had started off bad and the pace continued throughout the school day. The icing on the cake had been in his last class of the day when the gym teacher, Mr. Douglas, had announced that they would be playing volleyball for the next two weeks. "Perfect," the voice in Bo's had chastised, "Of course it's volleyball. Why would it be anything else?"

Try as he may, there was just no way Bo was going to be able to be any use to his team today. Sports didn't come naturally to Bo to begin with. He was built somewhat athletically, but he lacked agility and also didn't have much coordination, so he never quite stood out as an athlete. Even under regular circumstances, Bo would have struggled a little bit with a sport like volleyball, but with the searing pain in his upper body at the moment, there was going to be no way he would be able to lift his arms over his head and strike at the ball. The end result was that Bo had to sit out the rest of the class and take a zero for the day. Mr. Douglas didn't seem too impressed with this, but then again, Mr. Douglas never did act like he cared much for Bo anyway, so Bo didn't shed any tears at disappointing him. Bo decided to head back to the locker room to change back into his regular clothes and call it a day. He had just finished buttoning his shirt and closing his locker when it happened.

It _would_ have to be today.

He had heard the footsteps behind him, but had no time to react to it before he felt the hands digging at the back of his neck, grabbing the collar of his shirt and yanking him backward. As his feet staggered to keep himself from falling, he could feel a cold hand at his wrist, forcing his arm back behind him, bent at the elbow and being forced painfully upward, pressing against his back. Searing pain jolted through his body as the maneuver stretched out the already overused muscles from the night before. Bo gasped and cried out a little in pain. He was then shoved roughly into the boys shower room before being released as the door slammed behind him and his assailants. Bo turned around and wasn't too surprised to see Arnie and Caleb snarling back at him.

Bo caught his breath and was the first to speak. "What the Hell do you think you're doing?"

Caleb approached Bo, challenging him and standing chest to chest with him. Bo was already six feet tall, but Caleb had his height already matched, plus a little more girth than Bo. Handling Caleb alone would be a challenge, but with Arnie in the mix, Bo was going to have a tough match, even without the handicap of sore, useless muscles. "Time for payback, Duke, and we're here to collect."

"Payback? For what? I ain't done nothing to you. I told you a thousand times already, Thornton, nothing happened between me and Bethany. I danced with her one time, and I swear I didn't know she was at the dance with you. Besides, she ain't my type." Bo turned his stare from Caleb to Arnie. "And I ain't ever done nothing to you, Waterhouse, so I have no idea what your beef is."

Arnie took a few steps closer to Bo, "My beef is that you sucker punched me last week and busted my nose. Now I figure it's my turn to bust yours."

"Plus," Caleb added "You cost both of us a registered detention last week for fightin', and my pa wasn't too pleased with that."

"Aw gee, you're both breaking my heart." Bo sneered. "I didn't exactly get a backrub in Leighton's office, you know. I woulda been happy with just a registered. And that weren't no sucker punch, Waterhouse, I dropped you fair and square. You can't fight worth crap."

This was the week in Hazzard High School that the plumbing in the boys' and girls' locker rooms was getting repaired and inspected. Conveniently, the boys' shower room was closed off today, and in the corner of the room set a toolbox, unlocked and opened, with some plumbing tools lying next to it on the floor of the stalls. Caleb walked over to it and took a large tool from it. "And this is to be sure we come out on top this time." He waved the tool in front of Bo.

Bo looked at him like he was crazy. "So, are you gonna come out to my house and fix our pipes?"

"Very funny! No, I figure I might just use this to knock you into next week."

"You're honestly gonna hit me with a plumber's wrench? What's the matter with you? You're daddy never even taught you how to fight at all, did he?"

Caleb handed the wrench to Arnie. "Hold this while I hit him. If he fights back, clock him with it." Without saying another word or without any warning after that, Caleb turned and struck Bo hard in the stomach. Even under normal conditions, the blow would have been painful, but today, the pain was almost unbearable. Bo immediately dropped to his knees and gasped for breath. Caleb sneered at him, "Who can't fight now, Duke?" He then grabbed Bo's face in his hands and brought his knee up, catching Bo in the mouth. Bo fell over backward and landed in a seated position.

Bo raised his hand up. "Okay fellas, you win. I don't want to fight you. I promised my uncle and Principal Leighton that I wouldn't fight. You got me back, let's call it a done deal, okay?" He brought one hand to his mouth to wipe a little of the blood away, as the other hand was still cradling his stomach.

"No deal." Now it was Arnie's turn to fight while Caleb held the wrench. "Now I get mine."

"Okay," Bo continued, "but at least let me start out in a standing position, alright?"

Arnie allowed Bo time to get back on his feet. This turned out to be a mistake. Before Bo completely stood, he tackled Arnie at the knees, knocking him backward into Caleb and taking them both to the ground. Caleb dropped the wrench, sending it clanging to the floor. Bo kicked Arnie in the gut, and dropped to his knees and punched Caleb in the face, keeping them both on their backs as he collected the wrench from the floor and pointed it toward them. He was just about to announce that the fight was over, when he once again felt rough hands grab him from behind and yank him backward. The hand that held the wrench was twisted behind him, and he found himself pinned very tightly up against the shower wall. "Drop the wrench, Duke, right NOW!" Bo was in shock as his mind tried to register what was happening. It took him a moment for his brain to catch up, but when it did, Bo immediately released the wrench from his grasp and again sent it clanging to the floor. He could feel a sickening feeling in his stomach now, but it had nothing to do with the crunches from last night or punch he had just received. The voice and hands behind him belonged to Mr. Douglas. "You're in deep trouble now, boy."


	5. Chapter 5

As he once again found himself waiting to see Principal Leighton, Bo thought about how he had been in the office enough times this year to have earned his own chair. Just like the famous Hollywood directors had on T.V. with their names engraved on the backs of them, he should have his own chair with 'Bo Duke' sprawled across the back of it.

Mr. Douglas hadn't wasted any time gathering up Arnie and Caleb off the floor of the shower room while holding Bo firmly by the upper arm and marching them all down to Leighton's office, forbidding any of them from speaking on the way there. Bo had tried in vain to get his teacher to lessen his grip on his arm by squirming away from him, but it only succeeded in his holding him tighter, causing even more pressure to his tender muscles. Bo figured that some type of memo must have gone out that his arms and mid section would be very sore today, as people sure were anxious to grab and hit him in those exact places, and it didn't seem right at all to Bo. Maybe Luke had passed the word around the High School about his overdoing it the night before.

Bo's foot was nervously bouncing up and down as he awaited his fate. He found it very difficult to sit still. Caleb and Arnie were seated on the opposite side of the room from him, giving enough space between the three to keep them too far away from each other for a new fight to break out, but just for good measure, Mr. Coffin had been asked to keep guard over them. Bo could hear Mr. Douglas and Principal Leighton talking behind the closed doors, but not clearly enough to make out what they were saying. If he thought for a moment he would be able to inch his chair closer to the door to get a better earshot and get away with it, he would have. After what seemed an eternity but still came too soon, the office door opened and Mr. Leighton poked his head out.

"Mrs. Drummond, would you please telephone these boys' parents or guardians to come in and sign them out?" Then, turning to the boys, "Please come in, gentlemen."

Bo had done this enough times before to understand that when the telephone call had to be made for a ride home, it meant trouble. His insides started to turn a little, causing an uneasy, sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was going to have to do some very smooth talking, and he prayed it was going to work better than last time.

Mr. Leighton escorted Caleb and Arnie in first, directing them to stand together against the wall of his office, then turned his attention to Bo. "Let's start with you, shall we? Have a seat in front of my desk, please." As Bo approached the desk, he couldn't help but notice the leather strap placed on top of it. He made a silent prayer that it was intended for his cohorts.

Mr. Douglas was also seated in front of the desk, and Bo stole a quick glance at him as he took the seat next to him. "Mr. Douglas, I don't know how much you saw of what went on in there, but…"

"That's enough, Mr. Duke! In my office I get the first opportunity to speak. I won't hear another word from you until you're permitted to do so." Mr. Leighton glared at him.

"But you don't understand. I think he only saw the last part…."

"One more word from you without being addressed and you will be expelled. Do you understand me?"

A helpless look poured over Bo's face. With an exasperated sigh and a shaky voice, Bo answered him. "Yes, Sir."

Mr. Leighton stood next to Bo. Even when Bo was standing, his principal towered over him. Now that Bo was seated, the body of Mr. Leighton compared to a skyscraper in height. At first Bo had arched his neck to make some sort of eye contact with him, but quickly realized that he would be better just to turn his gaze to the floor.

"I've just had a long conversation with Mr. Douglas, and he informs me that you have once again been fighting. He tells me that he entered the shower room and witnessed you kicking, and then striking the boys behind you, then picked up a plumber's wrench and swung it toward them. Keeping in mind my warning about speaking out of turn, answer me yes or no _ONLY_. Is Mr. Douglas accurate in what he saw?"

Bo stared at the floor a little longer before answering. He turned his eyes toward Caleb and Arnie, who he could swear had just smirked at him, then at the gym teacher seated beside him. He shook his head slightly and took a deep breath. "Yes." Bo wanted so badly to follow his answer with a '…but,' only he didn't dare speak another word. He knew this answer would be poison for him, but there was no way he could risk being thrown out of school now, especially with Luke home and Uncle Jesse wanting him to improve so badly. He just hoped that sooner or later he would be able to tell his side of the story.

Mr. Leighton let out a deep breath. "I cannot tell you how disappointed I am to hear you say that, Bo. I honestly thought that after our last meeting we had really come to an understanding. You stood right where I am standing now and promised me that you would make every effort not to return, yet here you are less than a week later for the same exact thing. It would seem to me that perhaps I underestimated how much discipline it would take for you to learn your lesson. However, I will not make the same mistake again." He reached over to his desk and picked up the strap. "I believe the agreement was fifteen. You may now take your place at the end of my desk."

Bo's breathing became very sporadic as a wave of panic swept over him. He hadn't considered the idea that he would be punished in a room full of his peers. He also had a very good idea that there would be no way he would get through five additional lashes without breaking down into tears, and his mind was racing to do whatever it took to prevent that from happening. Without giving himself too much time to think about it, he closed his eyes and said the only thing his brain could come up with. "With all due respect, Sir….no." Almost instinctively, he braced himself for a powerfully negative response. He wasn't disappointed.

Mr. Leighton's eyes flew open wide, and then shrunk to tiny slits, and his voice seemed shaky as he tried to remain calm in his newly enraged state. "What did you just say to me?"

Bo was visibly shaking now, and he began to feel his face turn very hot. He struggled to stammer his answer out again. "I'm sorry, but 'No'. I can't do that."

"Not only do I know you can, but I know you will. Get on your feet and get yourself over to my desk, _NOW_! It will get much worse from here, believe me!" Bo's face wasn't the only one turning red.

Bo was suddenly aware how badly this was turning out for him. The panic was quickly taking over his brain as he desperately tried to remember what he needed to say to his principal. All he could think about was how loudly his heartbeat sounded inside his own head. In his panicked state, he was honestly considering just making a break for the door and running home, when there was a knock at the office door.

Mr. Leighton bellowed toward the door. "I'm with students right now, Mrs. Drummond. What is it?"

The office door opened slightly as Mrs. Drummond peeked in. "Mr. Leighton, you know I would never interrupt you in a meeting of this sort, but Mr. Kent is here from the plumbing company, and he says it's important that he speaks to you. He's told me what it's about and I agree. You really need to speak with him immediately, please."

All the air seemed to blow from Mr. Leighton's lungs as he gave a huge sigh. "Very well, I'll be right out." Turning to Bo one last time, "I'll only be gone for a moment, and there will be no talking while I'm with Mr. Kent. When I return, I had better find you at the end of my desk, or as God as my witness you will regret it!" He returned the strap to his desk and exited the room.

If there had been a window in that office, Bo would have considered climbing out. Desperately he tried to at least get his breathing under control while he was given the extra few moments to regain his composure. Perhaps the meeting with the plumber would be enough that the fire that had built up in Mr. Leighton would have died down a little, but somehow Bo figured that his reprieve was only very temporary. He turned to Mr. Douglas once again. "Please, Mr. Douglas. I know what you think you saw, but it wasn't the whole story. I wasn't the one who started this. They threw me…."

"Didn't Mr. Leighton warn you not to talk? I swear, Bo, you've got no common sense at all, do you? If I were you, I'd get myself over to that desk before he comes back in here and save yourself some additional misery. I know what I saw in there. You can't lie your way out of this one."

The office door opened once again as Mr. Leighton returned. Surprisingly, an older gentleman entered the office behind him, quietly standing with his hat in his hands just inside the door. Mr. Leighton set his gaze on Bo once again, but as he approached Bo's chair, something seemed very different. The rage was no longer in his eyes. Mr. Leighton stood directly in front of Bo's chair, looking him in the eyes with an inquisitive look on his face. Bo stared back up at him with both confusion and fear. Mr. Leighton then placed his hand under Bo's chin and grasped it slightly, making Bo lift his head up a little higher.

"Could you open your mouth for me a little, son?" He asked. Bo didn't understand why he was being asked to do this, as there was nothing in his mouth to find, but the tone of Mr. Leighton's voice no longer seemed as threatening, so he thought he'd better do what he was told. As Bo opened his jaw slightly, Mr. Leighton gently pulled Bo's lower lip down with his thumb, exposing a large, fresh gash on the inside of his lip and along his lower gum line. He took his hand away from Bo's chin, allowing Bo to close his mouth again. Mr. Leighton's eyes made contact with Bo's again and this time Bo saw something in his principal's eyes that had been missing since he sat down. He saw compassion. "Could you please stand up for me?" Almost understanding where this was headed, and figuring it sounded a lot better than 'On your feet.' Bo obliged this request as well and stood. Mr. Leighton took Bo's shirt at the waistline and lifted it up, exposing Bo's ribs and stomach. Perfectly centered on Bo's abdomen there was a deep, red colored circle on his skin, with three perfectly imprinted welts in the center, marking the exact spots where Caleb's knuckles had made contact. Mr. Leighton pressed his hand against the bruise slightly, causing Bo to wince a little. He let go of Bo's shirt and put his hand on his shoulder, pressing downward slightly, indicating that he should sit back down. Mr. Leighton's attention then turned to the man seated next to him.

"Mr. Douglas, this student has been assaulted as well. It appears he has been hit in the mouth and struck in the ribcage. Based on this, it would make me believe that perhaps you didn't actually witness the entire scene." Now it seemed that it was Mr. Douglas' turn to sit uncomfortably in his chair as he looked first at Bo, then at Caleb and Arnie, who were standing like statues against the wall of the office, but were now both staring intently at the floor. Before he could answer, Mr. Leighton continued. "We will discuss this further in a moment, Mr. Douglas. First, allow me to introduce Mr. Kent. You see, Mr. Kent is from the plumbing company that is in the process of repairing and updating the facilities in the girls' and boys' shower stalls, and he has come to me with an interesting story. It seems as though Mr. Kent was just on the other side of the shower stall the entire time of this confrontation, and because he had removed a faucet fixture from the boys' side of the shower, he not only heard the scenario, but he also watched it through the hole it left." Mr. Leighton stood back a little bit so as not to stand in the line of vision between Mr. Kent and any of the students in the room. "Mr. Kent, would you be so kind as to tell me again what you saw?"

"Yes, Sir, I'd be happy to." Mr. Kent took a few steps forward. "These boys here," pointing to Caleb and Arnie, "Forced this boy here" pointing to Bo, "Into the shower stall. One boy held a wrench on him while the other one beat him to the floor. This boy asked them to stop, saying that he promised his principal and his kin that he wouldn't get into anymore trouble, but those two over there kept it up. He was about to get beaten a second time, when the blonde boy charged the other two, and hit and kicked them, but it was clearly in self defense. It was just after he had defended himself that this gentleman here came in and grabbed the wrong boy, telling him he would be in big trouble." Mr. Kent seemed a little nervous, as if he had just completed a testimony in front of a judge. "At first I thought I would just let the faculty handle this, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought I should at least be sure this young man didn't get in trouble for it. It wasn't his fault."

Bo was elated! After letting out a huge sigh of relief, he actually laughed out loud a little bit. It was all he could do to stifle a loud whoop, but he knew that would not be a good idea. He continued to breathe rapidly, as it dawned on him that he had barely breathed at all while Mr. Kent had been speaking. Once again, Mr. Leighton addressed Bo.

"Mr. Duke, I owe you a whole hearted apology. It appears that although you were brought into this office to be taught a lesson, in the end it was you who taught me one. I should have let you tell your side of the story, but instead I relied too heavily on the testimony of someone else." Angry eyes flashed once again in the direction of the gym teacher. "I apologize to you, and promise you that from here on, I will be sure to listen before I pass judgment on you or any other of my students." He held his hand out to Bo in a request for forgiveness. Bo stood and accepted his handshake, maybe even a little too aggressively as he vigorously pumped his arm up and down. "It's okay, Mr. Leighton. I understand. But just for the record, if I were to pick a fight with two other fellas, I would always choose to take them on one on one, not while they're together. My Uncle Jesse and Luke taught me to have better common sense than that" He then turned to Mr. Kent and held out his hand to him. Mr. Kent took his hand as well and Bo proceeded to shake his hand with much enthusiasm. Heck, Bo was so happy he felt like picking up Mr. Kent and spinning him around. "Thank you, Mr. Kent. Thank you so much for coming forward and setting the record straight. I owe you my hide, literally!" He then turned to Mr. Leighton again. "What do we do now? Can I go…I mean…may I be excused?"

Mr. Leighton smiled at him. "Yes, you may go. I'm sure your ride is waiting for you by now. Please tell Jesse I said hello."

"I sure will." For a brief moment he considered sending a snide remark over to Caleb and Arnie, or perhaps even to Mr. Douglas, but immediately thought better of it and quickly exited the room. As he was closing the door behind him, he heard Mr. Leighton continue his meeting with the rest of the room's occupants.

"Okay, so where were we? Oh yes, Mr. Waterhouse and Mr. Thornton, who would like to be the first to receive their punishment? I believe the agreement was ten lashes."

Bo leaned his back against the door, breathing his last full sigh of relief and closing his eyes for a moment. Mrs. Drummond was seated at her desk and looked up at him with a smile. "Vindication can be a wonderful thing, can't it?"

Bo smiled back at her. "Well, ma'am, I ain't sure about that, but it sure feels great to be off the hook!"

She chuckled at him. "Bo, sometimes you are just adorable. Now get out of here and be a good boy from now on. As much as I've enjoyed your company, I don't ever want to see you in this office again."

"Yes, Ma'am." Bo answered as he began to sprint out the lobby door and into the hallway.

"And, Bo?" She called out after him, "No running in the halls."

Bo screeched his sprint down to a fast walk and continued out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Bo was jogging out to the school parking lot just as Uncle Jesse and Luke were pulling up to the curb. Jesse looked a little confused, but pleased that his nephew had been released without having to be signed out this time. "Well, what have we here? Looks like you made it out alive, what did I get a call for then if I didn't hafta come sign you out?"

Bo tried to explain what had happened in the office, but about half way through, Jesse got confused in the story he was being told, so he figured he'd better just go in there and hear it straight from Principal Leighton. As he walked away, Bo turned to Luke, who was leaned up against the truck. "What does vindication mean?"

Luke's eyes squinted a little in question, "Why, have you been vindicated?"

"Maybe," Bo continued, and then tried to cover his tracks. "It ain't that I don't know what it means, I just was wondering if you knew."

Luke smiled, "I know what it means alright, so if you know what it means then use the word in a sentence."

Bo was prepared for that, "Vindication can be a wonderful thing." He grinned back at Luke.

Now Luke laughed right out loud at Bo. He'd played this game enough with him to know what was happening. "So let me see if I'm following this okay…someone said that to you, and now you need to find out somehow what that means without going anywhere's near a textbook. How'm I doin' so far?"

Bo's smile faded a little, but perked up as he caught the sight of Arnie and Caleb walking with their fathers from the front door of the school. Both boys were being led away with red and puffy eyes. Bo looked back at Luke, "On second thought," he grinned, "I'm pretty sure I have a good idea what it means after all."

For dinner that evening, Daisy had finally used up some of the tomatoes that she had blanched and frozen from the last harvest to make up a wonderful spaghetti sauce. She had even spiced it up with some hot sausages and jalapeno peppers, because the boys liked their sauce extra spicy. Luckily she had saved some milder sauce out for Jesse, whose stomach couldn't tolerate that kind of upset anymore. However, the gash on Bo's lip prevented him from having any of the sauce tonight as it sent pain searing throughout his mouth. Daisy felt really bad for Bo, who had to sit and watch everyone else enjoy the spaghetti while he made a grilled cheese sandwich with the Italian bread from dinner. She had also regretted the way she had tormented Bo that morning, causing him additional discomfort. When she heard of Bo's ordeal in school today, she decided it was time her baby cousin got a little TLC. After dinner, she did the dishes for him, as he was still on dish duty, and made a comfortable spot for him in the living room.

"Get over here, Bo, let me help you a bit with your aches and pains tonight." She patted some pillows that she had laid on the rug in front of the fireplace. Bo groaned a little as he sprawled on his stomach across the pillows, resting his head on his arms folded under him. She helped him take off his shirt and put a little oil across his shoulders and began a soothing back massage. She hadn't seen much of him since Luke had been back, and she hated seeing him in pain, so she was anxious to help him get back to his old self now. "There you go, hon. Just relax a bit and tell me everything that happened today. I heard you finally caught a break with Mr. Leighton."

Bo closed his eyes and felt the stress of the day melt away under Daisy's gentle touch. He proceeded to tell her all about the volleyball, the shower room, the scene with Arnie and Caleb, and finally the event that had happened in the Principal's office. Daisy listened intently as she continued with his back rub, and she seemed totally engrossed in his recollection of his day. Uncle Jesse and Luke were at the kitchen table, enjoying a friendly game of cribbage and were listening to Bo's story as well. At first, Jesse wasn't sure how he felt with the idea that Bo had refused to obey his principal in the office, as he had taught his boys and Daisy to respect their elders. Then again, he had also taught them to fight against the underbelly of authority, and decided that Bo had made the type of stand that a young man has to make every now and then, so he decided to just let it be. At least it had all turned out okay in the end.

After giving him his back massage, Daisy promptly sent Bo to bed. It was only 7:30, but she insisted that he needed a good night's rest after his ordeal today. Of course Bo could have argued with her, but he could see that Daisy was really trying to be motherly toward him, and he just couldn't bring himself to do anything to hurt her feelings. Besides, he was feeling so relaxed after his massage that the thought of crawling into bed actually sounded pretty good. He wished everyone a good night, managed to sneak his math book under his shirt and retired to his room, closing his door behind him.

After about a half hour and passed and he had taken a proper beating from Uncle Jesse at the cribbage board, Luke decided he was going to retire early as well. Upon entering his and Bo's bedroom, he found Bo lying on his stomach across his bed, his head propped on his hand while he worked on his math homework. Without looking up from his paper, Bo explained, "I'm in bed, Daisy, I just gotta finish my math paper for school tomorrow."

Luke smiled, then walked up behind Bo and collapsed on top of him on his bed, carefully, so not to hurt him too badly. The impact, as gentle as it was, still caused Bo to groan in slight discomfort. Still not looking up, Bo admonished Luke. "If Daisy catches you roughhousing with me, you're gonna get it. I'm supposed to be resting, remember?"

Luke ignored him as he slowly placed his arm around Bo's neck in a mock headlock, "It's only roughhousing if you decide to struggle." He took a moment to peek over Bo's shoulder at the paper he was working on. After a moment, Luke replied, "The answer is C equals 12."

Bo's pencil stopped for a moment. "For real?"

"Yup."

Penciling in the answer given to him, Bo smirked in his direction. "Betcha can't figure out the next one."

Luke tightened his grip around Bo's neck a little. "Don't try to shuck and jive me, cousin. Do your own homework." Luke climbed off Bo's bed and dropped down on his own mattress.

At that moment Daisy walked in carrying a cereal bowl. Bo grinned in Luke's direction with a "You got lucky" smile. If Daisy had walked in a moment sooner, Luke would have been chastised. "Bo", she scolded, "I thought I told you…"

"Now, Daisy. I had to finish my homework. You know I can't get in no more trouble at school. This paper's due tomorrow. I'm resting, I promise. Beside's I'm on my last one now." He quickly finished his equation, looked to Luke for a nod, assuring he had the correct answer, and then tucked his worksheet in his book.

Daisy smiled. "Okay hon." She walked over to his bedside, placing her hand on his cheek. "How are you feeling now?"

"I'm fine. Thanks again for the back rub. It felt great. Really helped with my muscles."

She brushed his bangs out of his eyes and smiled at him. "Anytime, sugar." Then, revealing the bowl she had carried in with her, "I brought you a dish of ice cream for dessert, and thought the cold would help the swelling in your lip." She took the first spoonful out from the bowl and brought it to Bo's mouth. "Open wide."

Bo flashed a quick smile to her as he took the spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. She watched as he swallowed it down and sat up to take the bowl and spoon from her. "Thanks, Daisy. It's just what I was in the mood for."

"Hey! Where's _my_ ice cream?" Luke pouted as he sat up on his bed.

"Don't worry, hon, I got a bowl for you, too." She left for a moment, returning with a second bowl, handing it to Luke. "Here you are, sweetie. You're in good hands, too." She brushed her hand through what little hair Luke had left and smiled down on him. She turned again to Bo. "Do you need anything else before I call it a night?"

"No thanks, Daisy. I'm sure I'll manage okay. Good night."

Daisy leaned over and kissed him on the forehead. "Good night, baby. Sweet dreams." She then kissed Luke on the top of the head and wished him a good night as well.

Bo's eyes followed her out the door and watched as she closed the door behind her. Bo's eyes then immediately went to Luke, who sat with a stunned look on his face. Bo tried to hide a smile, as he had a good idea what Luke was about to say.

"Wow! She sure has turned maternal toward you, hasn't she?"

Bo continued his ice cream, trying to act casual. "Don't know what you're talking about." He grinned.

"Really? I thought she was gonna spoon feed you the entire bowl."

"Nope, just the first. She does that because that's the spoonful that she sneaks the Tylenol in. She doesn't think I know about it, but I do."

Luke looked surprised. "You know about that?" Now it was Luke's turn to knowingly chuckle a little.

"Yup, I have for years now, and I take it you've known about it too. She knows I hate to take pills so she tries to sneak them to me. It's usually in ice cream, sometimes pudding or Jell-o. Whenever I'm achy or if I'm running a fever, I can usually count on her coming up with some type of dessert she can smuggle some medicine in." He shrugged, continuing to eat his dessert. The idea that Daisy had tried to dupe him didn't seem to bother Bo at all, so Luke had to ask.

"And you've let her do that all this time, and you've never told her that you know what she's doing?"

Bo stopped eating for a moment to explain. "I dunno. It makes her happy to take care of people, and lately she's had her sights on me. It doesn't bother me, and I know she's trying to help. Besides, she's run interference for me with Jesse quite a few times since you've been away, so I really don't want to risk her not being on my side right now." Bo picked his spoon back up. "Besides, why risk losing dessert?"

"Still, her babying you has got to get on your nerves from time to time."

Bo gave him a smirk and pointed his spoon at him. "Oh, no more than you giving me all the dull arrows to go target practicing with, or when you and Cooter 'fixed' my motocross bike so it couldn't go higher than third gear after I dumped it last spring. I could go on and on about that kinda stuff if you'd like me to."

Luke gave a slightly embarrassed smile and shook his head. He studied Bo for a moment as his cousin hungrily continued his dessert. All this time he had thought of Bo as naïve, a little gullible and maybe just a little shy in the thinking department, and as it had turned out the boy had been a step ahead of them all along. He thought back to the conversation that he and Jesse had at the picnic table a few days earlier. Maybe it wasn't Bo who couldn't decide if he wanted to be six years old or twenty, maybe it was the rest of them who were having a hard time seeing how much he had grown up.

"Listen, Bo." Luke confessed. "I want to apologize for going off on you the other day. You were right, I had no call to holler at you like that."

Bo lowered his head slightly. "That's okay. You weren't completely wrong to do so. I had been getting into a lot of trouble at school, and most of it had been all on my own. I deserved it. I really don't know what's come over me this year. My head just couldn't get around the idea that you really had gone away, and I really missed you." He paused a moment as he scraped the bottom of the bowl for the last scoop of his ice cream. "Just the same, it was no excuse for all the slacking off I did at the beginning of the year. Now I'd better concentrate on behaving myself or I'm really gonna pay for it, bigtime."

This reminded Luke of one pertinent detail that he wanted to further discuss with Bo. "I still can't believe you looked right at Leighton and told him 'no' when he told you to get over to his desk for a whippin'. I don't know whether to think you're really brave, or really crazy!" Luke laughed and shook his head.

"Really scared and really stupid's probably more like it." answered Bo. "Man, I shudder ta think what would've happened if that Mr. Kent didn't come forward. As far as I'm concerned, the man's a superhero."

"Well, either way, I'm glad it all turned out okay for you." Luke gathered both of their ice cream bowls and joined Bo on the edge of his bed. "And I also wanted to tell you, you weren't the only one missing his cousin those first few months, or any of the other months. I really missed you, too."

Bo smiled, stretched and yawned. "I'm glad you're back, even if it's only for a short while. You're still planning on getting a racecar started right after you get back permanent, right? We can still do that, right?"

"You bet we can! It's the only thing I've been thinking about. Now that you've finally got your driver's permit, we can go for a drive this weekend and you can practice your sharp turns and such out on Miller's Drive. You just get through school tomorrow, and then we'll have the weekend." He tussled Bo's hair as his younger cousin continued to yawn.

"Man," Bo said sleepily, "I'm wiped out all of a sudden. I'm gonna call it a night and get some sleep. See you in the morning, Luke."

"Okay, good night."

As Luke closed the door behind him, he turned to Daisy, who was in the kitchen wiping down the table. "Gee, for some reason poor Bo can't seem to keep his eyes opened."

"Yeah," Daisy answered with a smile. "Those good muscle relaxers will do that sometimes. I only gave him one, and he needed a good night's sleep."


	7. Chapter 7

_**This is the last chapter of my first story with Fan Fiction. I would like to thank everyone for their kind comments, reviews and suggestions. I enjoyed writing this very much, as I enjoy the chance to read some of the stories on here as well. There is a lot of talent on this site.**_

_**I did not receive any compensation, nor do I own any rights to The Dukes of Hazzard or its characters.**_

The next morning arrived very quickly for Bo, who had barely moved even a muscle in his sleep the night before. He approached the breakfast table still yawning and stretching as he greeted the rest of his family. "Wow", he announced, "I slept like a log last night. It was almost as if I were struck with a tranquilizer dart."

Daisy never looked up from scrambling the eggs in the frying pan as she answered "Must've been that great back massage you got from me last night. I told you it would help you to relax and get a good night's sleep."

Bo shot a look over at Luke, who was sitting at the table, patiently waiting for his breakfast.

"Yeah, it must've been."

Daisy's eggs were finally finished as she brought them to the table to join the french toast, bacon and coffee. Her arm found Bo's shoulders as she wrapped it around him, giving him a good morning squeeze. "I'm glad to see you're feeling better today." She said as she non chaulantly ran her hand over his forehead, just double checking to be sure her boy was truly okay. She then brought her hand to his lower lip, running her finger gently over it. "Lemme see how the cut looks today." Bo obliged her once again, his eyes darting ever so briefly over in Luke's direction again, as Luke tried to stifle his chuckle as he sipped his coffee. Once she was satisfied, she patted him on the shoulder and made her way around the table, serving everyone a helping of eggs.

Jesse watched her for a moment from over the top of his morning paper. "Daisy, sweetheart, sit down and eat your breakfast before it gets cold. Them boys can serve themselves their own dishes. You don't need to be coddling them like that."

Daisy gave a faint smile. "I know, Uncle Jesse. I'm just so glad that things finally seem a little back to normal around here, that's all." She finished serving the last spoonful of eggs and found her place at the table.

Jesse gave her a wink and turned the page of his paper. "Speaking of which.. Luke, have you received any word as to when and where the Core will need you next?"

"No, not yet. But I expect it'll be any time now. I actually thought I might've heard something by now."

Bo gave a nervous look in Luke's direction as he poured his milk. "Is there any chance you won't be called over to Vietnam?" His eyes held the slightest hint of fear, although he was making a conscious effort to hide it.

"I'm not sure, Bo. I guess it's always a possibility. The fighting over there is starting to slow down, and they've actually been pulling some of the troops back a little. I'm still going with the idea that they will send me abroad. That way if they don't, I'm only gonna be pleasantly surprised, and not disappointed."

Bo nodded. "Yeah, that's kinda what I've been thinking, too."

The table got quiet for a few minutes as everyone refocused on their breakfast, although the topic of conversation had curbed their appetites a bit. They were just finishing up and scraping their plates, when engines could be heard in their driveway. Luke, who was sitting closest to the door, got up to see who would be paying them a visit so early in the day. His received his answer, and nervously turned to Jesse.

"You and Bo've got some company, I reckon."

Jesse got up in time to see Jack Thornton and Caleb in the first car, and Fred Waterhouse and Arnie in the second car that had just pulled in. Bo was looking over Jesse's shoulder, and didn't seem too happy as he watched the four emerging from their vehicles.

"Great. Now what the heck do you suppose they want?" He shoved his hands in his pockets and started to pace and fidget a little, showing sure signs of nervousness.

"Bo, just simmer down and come out with me to greet them. Whatever it is, we're gonna let them have their say and be done with it. I'm sure it'll be okay."

Jesse led the way down the stairs of the porch with Bo a step or two behind him. Luke and Daisy stepped outside the screen door, but held back and waited on the porch to watch from there.

Mr. Thornton held his hand out to Jesse, followed by Mr. Waterhouse. Jesse shook both gentlemen's hands and he wished them a good morning. Both Caleb and Arnie looked about as defeated as Bo looked nervous, with their eyes downcast and feet kicking at little pebbles in the gravel. Bo at least stood tall, making eye contact with both men as they said their 'good mornings' to him, followed with a greeting to them as well. Jesse had taught him good manners and respect while being addressed by an adult and it was serving him well now.

It was Jack Thornton who started the conversation. "Bo, my son and I just wanted to stop by here this morning to let you how sorry he is to have caused you so much trouble lately in school. It's my understanding that Caleb has been giving you a very hard time, and I'm here this morning to assure you that this will not happen again. In return I'm asking you to let this be water under the bridge, so to speak, and put all the fighting and conflicts with Caleb behind you. Does that sound okay to you?"

Bo raised his eyebrows. This was not the conversation he had been expecting. In fact, the only thing he had expected out of this visit was more trouble. Before he had a chance to respond, Jack had taken his son by the arm and pulled Caleb in front of him, facing Bo. "Got something to say, boy?" Jack prompted Caleb.

Caleb looked up from the ground for just a moment, then offered his hand out to Bo. Meekly, Caleb managed to utter a fair excuse for an apology. "I'm sorry for all the trouble. Can we call a truce?"

Bo studied Caleb's hand for a moment. He stood there frozen for an extra few seconds as he recalled his time in Leighton's office, the shower room, being practically dragged down the halls to once again face his principal. The memories were still very fresh, and it was hard to swallow everything that had happened and forgive and forget when it was still a little sore to sit down. However, a not so gentle nudge from behind him and the warning look in Jesse's eyes convinced him otherwise. Bo accepted the handshake. "Yeah, we can call a truce. I'd be glad to have this whole thing over and done with."

"I'm glad to hear it." Jack Thornton replied. He again shook Jesse's hand, bid them a good day and led his son back to their car.

It was at this point that Fred Waterhouse stepped forward. "Well, I'm glad that the fighting will be over with in school, but I do have a bone to pick with you, Jesse, about the broken nose I had to pay for. From what I hear, Bo punched my boy in the face, and all Arnie was trying to do was push past Bo to try to get away from him. I've also spoken to Mr. Leighton about that incident, and it was told to me that Bo was at fault in that fight, and I don't think it's right that I should have to pay for the medical bills." He reached in his jacket pocket and pulled out some papers to show to Jesse. "I had to pay almost four hundred dollars in doctor bills that day, and I think it's only right that you take care of the financing on that, seeing how Arnie wasn't doing anything to Bo at the time."

Bo felt like someone had hit him in the chest with a wrecking ball. Somehow, he knew something like this was going to happen. His breathing started getting a little labored as he looked helplessly from Mr. Waterhouse to his uncle. Jesse squinted at Fred for a moment and then took the paperwork from him.

"Well, I don't know how much at fault Bo was in that fight. The way I heard it, Bo was just trying to get to his class and your boy approached him, causing him some grief and wouldn't let him pass. Bo did admit to me that he did throw the first actual punch, but he said that it was only 'cause he kept getting shoved backwards by your son and Caleb. While we're on that subject, Bo took a beatin' himself, yesterday, but it so happens that he didn't get any broken bones from it, and last I checked, two against one ain't a fair fight to begin with."

"I understand that, but that was Caleb that threw them punches, not Arnie."

"Yes, it was Caleb, but Arnie was holdin' a good sized wrench on Bo, so's he couldn't fight back without getting hit with it….at least, that's how I heard it from Principal Leighton yesterday."

Fred turned to his son. "Is that so?" The look on Arnie's face answered his question for him. "How come this is the first I'm hearing that part of the story?" In frustration, Fred cuffed his son in the back of the head. "Get yourself back in the car, boy. We've got ourselves some real straight talking to do when we get home." As Arnie dragged his feet back to the truck, Fred once again turned to Jesse. "I apologize to you, Jesse. It seems I didn't have the entire story after all. I guess I was wrong to bring up the medical bill to you. It's just that we didn't really have the extra money to begin with, but that's not your problem."

Jesse thought about it and then made a suggestion. "I will tell you what we can do. Seeing how Bo was the one who broke Arnie's nose, and how Arnie didn't actually cause Bo any harm that day, I'll rent out Bo to you for one day to do some chores at your farm. It won't add up to the whole cost of the doctor's bill, but it sounds fair to me. What do you say to that?"

Fred nodded. "That should work. I've got some fences that need mending, some stalls that need to be mucked and some wood that needs stacking. My back ain't what it used to be, and I've had to hire out sometimes for the bigger chores. If your boy can handle them types of chores then it would save me from hiring and we've got ourselves a deal."

Jesse nodded in return, "My boy can handle that just fine. I'll send him over next weekend for you, bright and early next Saturday morning."

Bo's shoulders slumped and he winced at the sound of that idea. Jesse noticed the look on Bo's face and decided to respond. "That is, unless you've got a problem with that, Bo."

Bo placed his hands on his hips for just a moment and then almost immediately thought better of it and dropped his arms to his side. "No sir, I don't have any problem with that."

"Good then, it's all settled. I'll also make sure that Arnie has no other plans, and he can show Bo where all the work is that needs to be done and help him out with the chores." Holding his hand out to Jesse, "I'm glad we were able to talk this over. I also appreciate your cooperation with everything. You're a good man, Jesse, and you're doing a good job with these kids."

Luke and Daisy joined Bo and Jesse in the driveway as they watched the second vehicle drive away. Luke slung his arm over Bo's shoulder. "Eight hours of hard labor? Boy, that type of work is right up your alley!" He couldn't help but laugh at Bo just a bit.

"I wouldn't be laughing too much, Luke. While Bo's over there, guess who'll be here picking up the slack for his absence." Uncle Jesse stated as he smiled knowingly in Luke's direction.

Luke wasn't going to give up on his ribbing with Bo just yet. "Yeah, well, you still got off lucky, Bo. Why, if you were in the Marine's, you would be digging ditches in clay and rock for 12 hours straight, only to turn around and fill them back in again. You'd be happy as heck to be able to just stack some wood. You're still getting off easy, if you ask me."

Bo turned around to Luke, this time without the anger, and looked him in the eyes. "Yeah, well, once again, I ain't asking you. And I told you once already, but let me remind you…I ain't in the Marines, and you ain't my drill sergeant!"

"You're dang lucky about that, too, little cousin."

Bo propped himself up on his tiptoes to look over Luke's head a little bit. "Looks like I ain't gonna be the 'little' one much longer. I've already caught up with you." A big smile flowed over Bo's face at the idea of having some height advantage over Luke.

Luke balked at the idea. "No way! You're done growing, so don't even get that idea in your head."

Jesse shook his head and joined in the conversation. "I wouldn't be too sure about that, Luke. The boy's grown 4 inches this past year alone. I think he's still got a few inches to go 'til he's done." Daisy smiled and nodded in agreement. "Uh huh, I agree with Uncle Jesse. Bo's gonna go right by you, Luke."

Luke adamantly shook his head. "I can tell you right now, there's no way he's gonna grow anymore. It just ain't gonna happen."

Bo tilted his head. "And how can you be so sure about that?"

"It's just the way things happen. The sun can't shine at night, man can't walk on water, and there just ain't no way the good Lord is gonna let Bo Duke be taller than me."

**Balladeer: And we all know how that one turned out. **


End file.
